| Omaha City Council | |
| Coa Alt: | Seal of Omaha |
| Logo Alt: | Councilmanic Flag |
| Leader1: | Jean Stothert |
| Party1: | (R) |
| Leader2 Type: | President |
| Leader2: | Pete Festersen |
| Party2: | (D) |
| Election2: | June 2021 |
| Leader3 Type: | Vice President |
| Leader3: | Aimee Melton |
| Party3: | (R) |
| Election3: | May 2023 |
| Term Length: | 4 years |
| Structure1: | Omaha City Council in 2023 September.svg |
| Structure1 Res: | 250px |
| Voting System1: | First-past-the-post
|
| Next Election1: | May 15, 2025 |
| Session Room: | File:City Offices Omaha NE.jpg |
| Session Res: | 275px |
| Website: | city.council.city.of.omaha.org |
The City Council of Omaha, Nebraska, is elected every four years on a nonpartisan basis. The next election will occur in 2025. Omaha has a strong mayor form of government. Members are elected by district. Currently seven city council districts are represented across the City of Omaha.[1]
City council members represented seven districts throughout the city of Omaha.[2]
The city council is officially nonpartisan; party affiliations are for informational purposes only. However, registered Democrats hold a majority.
| District | Councilman | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pete Festersen | D | |
| 2 | Juanita Johnson | D | |
| 3 | Danny Begley | D | |
| 4 | Ron Hug | D | |
| 5 | Don Rowe | R | |
| 6 | Brinker Harding | R | |
| 7 | Aimee Melton | R |
In 2006 the Nebraska State Legislature began deliberations on adding additional seats to the Omaha City Council.[3] Due to the annexation of Elkhorn by Omaha, the city council has proposed new boundaries for the districts that would split Elkhorn between two districts. Legislative Bill 405, introduced by Elkhorn State Senator Dwite Pedersen, would increase the size of the Omaha City Council to 9 members and realign districts. However, this bill was tabled in March 2007 until the next legislative session.[4]
The first Omaha City Council was convened in 1857. It was composed of A. D. Jones, who resigned March 23, 1857; T. G. Goodwill, who died May 18, 1857; G. C. Bove, H. H. Visscher, Thomas Davis, William N. Byers, William W. Wyman, Thomas O'Connor, C. H. Downs, J. H. Kellom, for whom Kellom School was later named; and John Creighton, whom Creighton University was later named for.[5]
The city council has long taken stances on issues. In 1859 a local newspaper reported that a, "...bill introduced in the Omaha City Council, for the abolition of slavery in this Territory, was called up yesterday, and its further consideration postponed for two weeks. A strong effort will be made among the Republicans to secure its passage; we think, however, it will fail. The farce certainly cannot be enacted if the Democrats do their duty."[6]
| 1957 [7] | W. P. Garvey | Albert L. Veys | A. V. Sorensen | Warren R. Swigart | James J. Dworak | Harry Trustin | Sam W. Reynolds | |||||||
| N.P. Dodge | ||||||||||||||
| 1961 [8] | Albert L. Veys | Warren R. Swigart | Harry Trustin | H. F. Jacobberger | Ernest A. Adams | William R. Milner | Arthur D. Bradley Jr. | |||||||
| 1965 [9] | Robert G. Cunningham | H. F. Jacobberger | Albert L. Veys | Arthur D. Bradley Jr. | Sam Vacanti | Lynn R. Carey | ||||||||
| 1969 [10] | H. F. Jacobberger | Warren R. Swigart | Albert Veys | Arthur D. Bradley Jr. | L. K. Smith | Betty Abbott | John Ritums | |||||||
| 1973 [11] | John Hlavacek | John Miller | Bob Cunningham | Monte Taylor | Steve Rosenblatt | Jerry Hassett | Betty Abbott | |||||||
| Ray F. Slizewski | ||||||||||||||
| 1977 [12] | Steve Rosenblatt | Jerry Hassett | Richard Takechi | Mary Kay Green | Tim Rouse | Leo Kraft | Warren Swigart | |||||||
| District 1 | District 2 | District 3 | District 4 | District 5 | District 6 | District 7 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 [13] | David Stahmer | Fred Conley | Walt Calinger | Steve Tomasek | Connie Findlay | Sylvia Wagner | Bernie Simon | |||||||
| 1983 [14] | Fred Conley | Steve Tomasek | Sylvia Wagner | |||||||||||
| 1985 [15] | Joe Friend | Richard Takechi | Bernie Simon | |||||||||||
| Allen Dinzole | ||||||||||||||
| 1987 [16] | Fred Conley | Steve Tomasek | Jim Cleary | |||||||||||
| 1989 [17] | Joe Friend | Subby Anzaldo | Richard Takechi | Steve Exon | ||||||||||
| 1991 [18] | Fred Conley | Steve Tomasek | Lee Terry | |||||||||||
| 1993 [19] | Joe Friend | Subby Anzaldo | Paul Koneck | Richard Takechi | Lee Terry | Frank Christensen | ||||||||
| Cliff Herd | ||||||||||||||
| 1997 [20] | Lormong Lo | Frank Brown | Paul Koneck | Cliff Herd | Lee Terry | Marc Kraft | ||||||||
| Bob Sivick | James Monahan | |||||||||||||
| 2001 [21] | Marc Kraft | Frank Brown | Jim Vokal | Garry Gernandt | Dan Welch | Franklin Thompson | Chuck Sigerson | |||||||
| 2005 [22] | Jim Suttle | Frank Brown | Jim Vokal | Garry Gernandt | Dan Welch | Franklin Thompson | Chuck Sigerson | |||||||
| 2009 [23] | Pete Festersen | Ben Gray | Chris Jerram | Garry Gernandt | Jean Stothert | Franklin Thompson | Chuck Sigerson | |||||||
| Thomas Mulligan | ||||||||||||||
| 2013 [24] | Pete Festersen | Ben Gray | Chris Jerram | Garry Gernandt | Rich Pahls | Franklin Thompson | Aimee Melton | |||||||
| 2017 [25] | Pete Festersen | Ben Gray | Chris Jerram | Vinny Palermo | Brinker Harding | Aimee Melton | ||||||||
| Colleen Brennan | ||||||||||||||
| 2021[26] | Pete Festersen | Juanita Johnson | Danny Begley | Vinny Palermo | Don Rowe | Brinker Harding | Aimee Melton | |||||||
| Ron Hug |